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Burmese grapes at a market in Ban Pong Ban Pong, (), is the centre town of Amphoe Ban Pong in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. It is located roughly 77 kilometers west of Bangkok.
History
The current town was first promoted as a municipality around 100 years ago, when it was moved down the Mae Klong River from the old town, which is now part of Tha Pha municipality. The new town, when it was first built, was flooded with Chinese immigrants migrating from Southern China where drought had occurred for four consecutive years in the 1920s. During the Second World War, the town experienced an economic boom due to its location being a hub between Bangkok to the east, Kanchanaburi to the north and all the provinces in the south of Thailand. All goods transported by rail from Bangkok, Kanchanburi, Burma and the Southern provinces had to make a stop in Banpong.
During the Second World War, the town was used by Japanese Forces as a base in the region while they were connecting the railway between Burma and Thailand, with train services running between Banpong and Molemen in Burma during and a few years after the war.
In the 1960s the town once again experience an Economic Boom when several Sugar refineries opened up in the area as the geography of the town is suitable for sugar cane production with the close proximity to Bangkok. Many large Banking and Government institutions located their regional branches here in Banpong.
Economy
There is a large abandoned canning factory in the town. The half-ruined buildings were partly covered with jungle creepers for many years, but now have been demolished.
Nowadays, the town's economy depends very much on the purchasing power of the workforce in Ban Pong District who engage in various industrial activities. Within the district, there are more than 400 factories within Ban Pong district alone, producing everything from jewelry to car parts. Hence, the town centre remains vibrant and prosperous.
However, due to the lack of vision of the last few mayors of the municipality, the town centre now starts to experience a decline in its importance due to the openings of many Hypermarkets in the outskirt of the town. The mayors have not been able to re-invent the new function of the town centre, hence during the day the town is now quiet with less activities going on than the past.
See also
References
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